New parking options for Amtrak riders

New parking options for Amtrak riders

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – More people are riding Amtrak than ever before.

Amtrak announced “record ridership” in fiscal year 2013 with more than 31 million riders nationwide. Traffic at the Amtrak station on Staples Mill Rd. in Henrico saw a “slight uptick” during that time, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods.

More than 370,000 passengers used Amtrak’s Staples Mill station during fiscal year 2013. More than 38,000 passengers used Amtrak’s Main Street Station in downtown Richmond this year, compared to 35,000 in 2012.

Top Amtrak stations in Va

# of on/offs

Richmond (Staples Mill)

372,592

Lorton (Auto Train)

265,274

Alexandria

180,063

Charlottesville

131,127

Newport News

128,317

In an effort to improve service at the Staples Mill station, Amtrak installed a new parking option for riders.

The pre-pay kiosk allows riders to pay for parking at the station and then use the receipt to get out of the parking lot.

In the past riders had to pay cash at the gate in order to leave the station.

Woods also said Amtrak was in talks with state partners, looking into options to expand parking at the train station.

Woods said Amtrak continues to operate as normal, despite the government shutdown. If the shutdown extends through Thanksgiving, Amtrak would re-evaluate its operations, she said.